[Ayna-Baghdad]
Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Fatih Yildiz said his country aims to raise the volume of trade with Iraq to 20 billion dollars.
This came during a press conference held by Yildiz in Baghdad on Thursday, during which he touched on the relationsbetween the fat, and the visit of Iraqi President Barham Salih last week to Turkey.
Yildiz said: "The goal in the volume of trade between the two countries is 20 billion dollars in the first phase (..) There is no objection to raising them to double in the event of lifting obstacles to trade."
Yildiz pointed out that the double taxation imposed by Baghdad is the biggest obstacle to trade between the two countries.
He pointed out that President Barham Salih, during his recent visit to Ankara last week, that his country will stop implementing this procedure.
The double tax is referred to as the double tax collection on goods coming from Turkey and passing through the territory of northern Iraq, where the Territory receives an entry tax, and in order to move goods from it to the rest of the Iraqi provinces, Baghdad gets another tax.
The ambassador said that the two countries have special relations, and that Ankara's priority towards Baghdad is to preserve Iraq's unity and territorial integrity and preserve its security.
He stressed that his country is waiting for the new Iraqi government, access through comprehensive policies to all segments of the country.
Yildiz touched on the issue of water with Iraq, noting that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is closely concerned with this issue.
He added that Erdogan told his Iraqi counterpart during the last visit to Ankara, that Turkey will appoint a special representative to follow up the issue of water with Iraq.
He continued: "Turkey is moving the issue of water with Iraq from the beginning in a special framework."
Iraq has been suffering for years, a steady decline in water revenues through the Tigris and Euphrates, due to lack of rainfall in the winter.
Iraq depends mainly on water security on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and their tributaries, all of which originate from Turkey and Iran.
On the other hand, Yildiz stressed that the fight against terrorism is one of the most important topics should not be ignored between the two countries.
He stressed the need for Iraq to cooperate more closely with Turkey in the fight against the organization "Dahesh" and the organization "Baka Ka" terrorists.
"We have clearly stated that we will stand with Iraq in their eradication of the region," he said.